On October 5  2009,  Precision Circuits of San Diego officially purchased the customer records and tooling of Protoqwik.  This was a partial asset sale to provide continuity for Protoqwik’s loyal following.

Precision Circuits manufacturing capability extends well beyond Protoqwik so that all customers may benefit from this transaction.

Bob Cowie, formerly President of Protoqwik, has joined Precision as the Manager of San Diego area Customer Support and Sales.  Bob has an extensive background in printed circuit board manufacturing with particular depth in plating and the entire wet processing room.

Our transition is well underway and we have already begun to service Protoqwik customers.

This is a real plus for everyone involved.  Protoqwik customers now have access to a broader manufacturing capability including complete  assembly services and  4 x 4 geometries.  Precision Circuits gains the services of a true circuit board expert to assist customers and manage projects from beginning to end.

Bob Cowie can be reached at bcowie@precisionpcbs.com.  Welcome aboard.

Customers who do not regularly specify and buy printed circuit boards or assemblies often wonder if they have sent enough information.  If you fit into that catagory, this blog is for you.

For board layout ( design ) quoting purposes, we need either a copy of your schematic and parts list ( BOM ), or a block diagram of the functions required for the circuit.  We can help you with these if necessary.  The best file format is pdf, however, AutoCad or any drawing program is fine.

If your board lay out is complete and you need a quote for bare boards or assemblies then the following will speed the process:

1. Electronic files in Gerber format.  Most programs allow you to save the files in 274X and this is best.  If this cannot be done, call us and we will guide you through alternate formats.

2. Do not forget to include the drill file.  At minimum we need the x-y coordinates and tool sizes.

3.  Professional board designers will also provide a Fabrication drawing.    The fab drawing contains all requirements NOT spelled out in the gerber files.  At a minimum we need the following:

Board material desired

Board thickness

Final finish

Copper thickness

Any special requirements

These are the essentials.  If you can get this information to us, we can get pricing to you within 24 hours.

We are exhibiting at the Navy Gold Coast Show in downtown San Diego this week.

Booth number 202.  Stop by and see us if you are also attending.

Show days are Tuesday and Wednesday ( 8/4 and 8/5 ).

At our booth you will see examples of products designed and manufactured by Precision Circuits and have the opportunity to speak with some of our knowledgable staff members. …better yet, bring a project need to discuss.

I have received a couple of comments and questions relating to the language of specifying printed circuit boards.  As it turns out, a lot of users, and specifiers are confused by terms in common use….only because different fabricators use different language.

One that trips everybody is the word “array”.  Let us try to help.

All board fabricators construct  boards in a multi-up patttern within the dimensions of a standard “master” panel in their factory.   For example, we use one of three standard sizes - 12″ x 18″, 16″ x 18″, or 18″ x 24″ .  Our internal tooling is set for these “master” panel dimensions.  Doing this  speeds production, reduces scrap, and keeps your cost low.  Your individual boards are then stepped ( stepped means repeated many times ) onto this panel size.

From this master panel, we rout out (  separate ) the parts you want either to their final shape…or into a smaller panel with multiple parts ( the array ).  The dimension of this array of parts is defined normally by the custmer and is driven by tooling requirements for assembly.

So…we use the term “array” to refer to a panel of  ”x”  number of finished boards, either scored or routed for quick snap out by the customer.

Most important…when you are placing orders please be certain to specify what your “quantity” refers to…individual boards or your array of boards ready for snap out.  Confusion here is common.

Have any other industry terms you need help with?  Send your questions or comments and we will try to help.

After the 4th of July break the electronics industry usually goes into a shallow hibernation…but often, when we are coming out of a recession,  summer is strong….what do you think?  Are things about to break loose in your business?

I am getting mixed messages out there concerning the health of the economy. Most customers tell us things are better…more tail wind than head wind is one quote.

One thing we all have been waiting to feel the benefit of is government stimulus money.   One source tells me that China was able to get their stimulus package on the street in a couple of weeks.  It is not clear to most I speak with that any government stimulus money has left Washington as yet.  Has your company benefited from any Washington money?

I would be intetrested to hear from you.